Sunday, December 14, 2008

Here in America, we give simple food boxes to the poor for Christmas. Things are apparently considerately better for the less fortunate Irish in Australia, thank God. An advertisement we saw:

"The Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce is selling traditional Irish Christmas Puddings with a donation from every pudding sold going towards the Australian Irish Welfare Bureau (AIWB)

"The AIWB is a non-profit voluntary organisation whose aims are to assist where possible, any person/persons in the Irish community in Victoria or any person who may be associated with the Irish community, who is in distress.

"Your company would be able to make a charitable donation to the AIWB by buying puddings for your clients.

"These are Traditional Irish Puddings made with Guinness and Irish Whiskey Butter, they come in cloth and they are boxed and personally addressed to anyone you choose."

Dear God, please have one of my dear readers send poor, destitute, 'in distress' Relax Max one of these for Christmas. Or even before. Amen."

17 comments:

I have one in my freezer from 1989. My dad made it and even dipped it in wax. He injected with booze of all kinds but since we were sampling the booze at the time I have forgotten which one was used. I'd be happy to send it to you.

I told you, Mackeson for the pudding. At least you got the whiskey right. You can have our leftovers, there'll be plenty - I've made enough for an army. Stirred every day, made a wish every day. What more could you want?

"Dear Max: I always put Mackeson stout in my Christmas pudding and have done for 40 years and my mother-i-law before me. I would buy it more often if I could buy single cans it seems it is only available in multi-packs in supermarkets.Christine"

Dear Christine, splurge on a 6-pack. Then you won't have to buy it more often. Max.

"Dear Max: I tried this alongside a Dragon Stout. The Dragon Stout, a Jamaican beer, is 7.5%, but does have a lot in common with Mackeson's. The Dragon comes in a bottle with a funky red dragon on the label; Mackeson comes in a can with a boring black milk churn. Dragon wins on presentation. Both are deep dark red, however the head on the Mackeson is a beautiful, but short lived white, while the Dragon has a bubbly dirty white head that settles down slowly. The Mackeson initially has a pencil rubber and melon aroma which eventually becomes quite coffee like - a sort of sweet milky coffee; while the Dragon is initially mostly alcohol, but also has rubber - a sort of industrial rubber, and some bread yeast notes. The Dragon tastes soft, almost muted, with an initial raisin and plum sweetness followed by some roasty bitterness. It is slightly tannic, with elements of iron and some cardboard, but this is balanced by some very juicy fruits. The Mack has a light carbonation and some faint soapy licorice before the coffee comes through followed by chocolate and a little strawberry jam. There is also a hint of tinned milk, which may be the result of lactose being used in the brew. The mouthfeel is thin and refreshing compared to the Dragon's firmer, soft and warm mouthfeel. Difficult to say which is the better beer. Dragon has a firmer, softer mouthfeel, but the thin, refreshing mouthfeel of the Mack is also pleasant, but in a different way. On the whole, I think the greater depth and range of flavours of the Mack just tips it ahead of the Jamaican stout. Silly Tork."

One of the four breweries that produced Mackeson was in Leeds, near my place of work... Mackeson was a hugely popular beer in the nineteen fifties and sixties, exported all over the world. The leeds brewery closed in, I think, the early eighties? I rarely see Mackeson anywhere now, thought it had ceased to exist.The brewery was in the early nineties refurbished as student living accommodation, and became an award winning student "village".Picturesque, by the canal, near the 12th century ruins of Kirkstall Abbey. If I was a student I'd be happy to live there.http://picasaweb.google.com/malka.simon/Leeds#5073854003999622450

http://www.beer-pages.com/protz/features/mackeson.htm

Ooooh Christmas pudding season is upon us! and rum sauce, and brandy-butter. I can't wait!

Plenty of Mackeson left Soubriquet, unless I've succeeded in cornering the market. I did have a few sips Nice pictures of the brewery, and the setting is certainly picturesque. The student accommodation itself looks remarkably like a prison to me, but that may be no bad thing.